Jersey Jay Wymbs

     Tattoos were commonplace in my household since my grandfather was a navy man and my mother was friends with bikers and musicians. I can remember looking at their tattoos and asking my mom, “Can I get a tattoo?” She would reply, “Just wait; you have your whole life ahead of you.” I knew at an early age I would be getting multiple tattoos. I was into punk rock and wanted to show the world, I was a bad ass. Turns out, I was just another bad kid. I was kicked out of 3 different high schools and it seemed my artwork was the only place I could really express myself. I began drawing all the time. I was doing a lot artwork for local bands and painting the backs of jackets. Most of my artwork was full of demons and skulls, so tattooing was a medium where my work was relevant. I can remember one of my drawing teachers hating the macabre imagery and telling me I would never make a career for myself drawing that sort of stuff.

     In my senior year, I began to spend a lot of time in Tony Cambria’s shop and asking him to teach me. He refused. In fact he refused every day for months. I was like a lost dog that wouldn’t leave. This went on for around 6 months or so, until one day he said, “If you’re going keep hanging around here, grab a broom and go clean this place up.” That was the beginning, and I’ve never looked back.